Solicitor General Shadrack Mose was cornered by members of parliament after a revelation that the Office of the Attorney General sold 56 vehicles for only Ksh7 million.
Appearing before the National Assembly Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Mose said that during the financial year 2022/23, the State Law Office disposed the grounded motor vehicles through a public auction, getting a sum of Ksh7,081,000.
The committee, chaired by Nominated MP John Mbadi, was shocked by the revelation, which was noted in the financial statements for the State Law Office.
Mbadi and the committee’s members feared that there could be foul play because the only information available was a notice of intention to sell, followed by information that the vehicles were sold for Ksh7 million.
Furthermore, a statement from the committee indicated that the meeting was held in routine examination of the Auditor-General’s Report for the year that ended on June 30.
Also Read: Mass Vehicles Put on Sale for as Low as Ksh 100K
Other Questions Raised Over the Sale of Govt Vehicles
At the same time, the committee highlighted that the Auditor General’s report stated that the State Law Office did not dispose any assets in the financial year ending June 2022, despite having 59 motor vehicles grounded at various locations.
Furthermore, Mose was at pains to explain why the logbooks for 10 vehicles bought and delivered by the National Treasury were not provided for audit verification.
The Solicitor General acknowledged the inconsistencies between the motor vehicle register and the list provided by the procurement department.
Additionally, he admitted that at the time of the audit, the asset register had not been updated.
“However, he assured the committee that the asset register has since been updated to include all motor vehicles, addressing the Auditor-General’s concerns regarding the new vehicles received by the State Law Office,” the statement from the committee read in part.
The committee directed the State Law Office to provide the reserve price of each vehicle, the identity of the highest bidder, and relevant documents to verify the sale of the 59 government vehicles.
Also Read: KeNHA Exposes How Auction Bidders Rigged to Get Ksh8 Million Prado
Uproar Over Rigged Prado Auction
In a seperate incident in February, Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) admitted that an auction held on February 7, 2024, was marred with fraud complaints.
According to KeNHA, some members of the public frustrated the auction of select items in the process which included vehicles and other assets.
Consequently, the authority announced that the said bidders will lose their auction deposit of Ksh60,000 as penalty for failing to honor their offers.
“The Authority, however, reads mischief in the select bidders’ offer since they have not honored their bids,” stated KeNHA.
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